Hearts
by Kei Lawliet
Summary: What does it mean to have a heart? Oneshot AkuRoku. AkuRoku means Shounen-ai, kiddies.


**Edit: **I had originally planned to make this longer, but I've turned it into a oneshot because a.) I like it better this way and b.) I'm too damn lazy to keep writing it. Besides, I figured I should probably finish all my other fics before I started another one with chappies.

**Disclaimer:** As much as I would love to claim that I do in fact own Kingdom Hearts, sadly, I cannot. Everything belongs to Square Enix, guys! Except this story idea. This was completely and utterly mine.

**Warning: **This is BoyxBoy Love. Nothing explicit, but still. Don't like, don't read, don't flame. :3

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**Hearts**

"What do you think it means to have a 'Heart'?"

"Hnuh?" I looked up from licking my ice cream, which had been proceeding to melt down the stick at a dangerous rate. You were staring off into the distance with your back to me, absentmindedly twirling your ice cream in your hands. The glistening drops of crystallized ice caught the dying light of the sun with each twirl and threw dancing prisms of colours onto your profile. Your hair glowed gold against the pink and orange clouds, so brightly that your being seemed to radiate with it: a pure warmth that made my skin buzz and a comfortable tightness bind my chest.

A second passed where I was overcome by the beauty of you and the sun and the rainbow of light before I remembered your question. I shook my head to bring myself back to reality and scoffed, "A Heart? To have one is to have one, how could I know what it means?"

My answer was met with silence. You continued to sit and twirl ice cream with your slender fingers as it slowly dripped down the stick; mine was already running down my black leather gloves.

You paused in your repetitive motion of twirls. "So… you don't think that we have Hearts?"

I shrugged and proceeded to lick the sticky ice cream off of my gloves. Saltiness stung the tip of my tongue, followed by an enveloping sweet that smoothed over the wound. "We're Nobodies. We're not allowed to have Hearts."

"…Right…"

I flinched inwardly at the carefully veiled pain in your voice, wishing I could pull the syllables out of the air where they lingered heavily. I rubbed the back of my neck and glanced downward awkwardly. "Why are you so hung up on something like this anyway?" I asked, cursing the words as soon as they left my mouth. Stupid Axel.

You stayed quiet for a minute, thinking. Your head cocked to the side, and I could imagine the look of contemplation crossing your face, your eyes glazed and brows furrowed slightly. My gaze shifted from you to the sunset and back again as you continued to speak silent words with yourself-- I knew to not break that silence. A whispered sigh escaped my lips and I brought the now nearly-melted ice cream to my tongue and took a quick lap at the salty dew.

Suddenly you turned, catching my eyes within your sapphire ones, which sparkled to the brim with ideas.

"What if people aren't born with Hearts?" The words tumbled out of your mouth rapidly, as though you were allowing them to escape before having second thoughts. "What if maybe, even if you don't have a Heart to start out with it doesn't matter, because you have to find it?"

"To find your own… Heart?" I gaped, raising an eyebrow.

You nodded. "A Heart is something felt, right? When a person is born they've had no experiences in life… nothing to base their feelings off of. But as they grow older, they find out more about themselves. Things they like, things they dislike… with each feeling they find, maybe they find a piece of their Heart as well."

"But we're Nobodies," I frowned, "We don't have feelings."

"Maybe we do," you replied, "but we don't know it, because we were never told what it was like to feel. There are some people who have no feelings at all-- but they're not Nobodies. And…" long dark eyelashes fluttered to brush your rose-tinted cheeks, "love is a feeling too, right Axel?"

Now my cheeks were flushed with warmth, the familiar tightness had returned. This was feeling? My… Heart?

My hand reached up to clutch that empty space in my chest. Maybe it wasn't so empty after all.

A grin drew its way across my face and I began to chuckle softly. You looked back up at me, confused, as the chuckles began to crescendo until I threw my head back in rambunctious laughter. Your eyebrows knit themselves together in a cross. "What? Axel!" When I did not stop, you grabbed my arm. "Ax-- uwa!

I pulled you into me, nuzzling the downy locks of your hair and still chortling. The loud thudding of your Heart banging against your ribcage resounded in my chest, where my own Heart pounded steadily. You struggled slightly against my grasp, surprised. I held you tighter and you soon gave in, allowing yourself to sink deeper into my arms. The heat of your body spread outward, enveloping me in a thick blanket that left me feeling contently full but yearning for more.

"A-Axel?" Your sky blue eyes gazed up at me innocently. I leaned in and brushed my lips against your forehead, felt your ease under the gentle touch.

"I don't know whether to believe that or not…" I murmured, "But I'd like to be able to."

The last of the sunset trickled below the horizon and gave way to the stars; they shone coolly above us as we were lost within our embrace.

The last time we would embrace before I lost you… forever.

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And thus it ends. R&R Please!!!

~KL


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